A Boarding School Story
by AthenaBoy
Summary: NicoXPercy love story. Takes place in an AU boarding school duh . Mature themes like death and homosexuality. My first fic, so no flames. Don't like, don't read.
1. Intro

A Boarding School Story Chapter 1

This story is AU and yaoi. Don't like, don't read. I do not own characters from Percy Jackson, but I might create a few later on. Also, my first story so reviews are welcome.

**Nico's POV**

I hate today. Three periods down, six more to go, in a stupid school I had to come to three weeks in. After another annoying introduction and more talking to people (God I hate talking to people) and period three is over. Now I just have to move to the next class without-

"Ugh. You idiot! My books!" I cried.

-Getting knocked over. Again.

"Sorry. Let me help." Said the other guy who proceeded to kneel next to me.

"You've helped enough." And with that I left for… Art? Huh, I guess I need to pay more attention. I rushed down the halls, trying to figure out where art rooms were. I would not give in and ask for directions. Ok, art is in the rooms by the paint splattered hallway. I guess that was a throw away.

"Hey, new person sit at my table!" I turned around and saw a red haired girl and a blonde girl waving to me. Why not? I'll end up ignoring them anyway.

"I'm Annabeth, and this is Rachel. Where're you from?"

"I'm Nico, I moved around here not too long ago with my Dad, so he sent me here."

"Oh, wait, Mr. Micheals is gonna start speeching." Rachel said.

"Ok class, we are going to start tessellations today. Tessellations are … "I zoned out. I knew how to do tessellations well enough from practice at home. I started paying attention when I heard"Mr. Di Angelo, would you care to introduce yourself?"

"I'd prefer not to." I replied.

He smiled. "I'm sure you're tired of introductions at this point." He turned to the door. "Late again, I see, Percy."

I looked to the door, already bored again. But then of course I saw that idiot I crashed into. Walking towards my table. I hate today.

**Percy's POV**

OK. Checklist for today.

-Manage to wake up 20 minutes late with a blaring alarm: Check

-Fail a test second period (After failing to remember it existed): Check

-Be late to Art/ disappoint one of my favorite teachers: Check

Oh, and before I forget,

-Make a jackass of myself in front of some cute kid I've never seen: Put an enormous freakin' check there too.

I walk into the art room and see that kid sitting with Annabeth and Rachel.

"Late again, I see, Percy." Mr. Micheals said. I saw the kid turn and make a face of disgust and anger when he saw me. That hit me like a slap.

"Sorry sir." I replied barely focusing as I sat down. I vaguely heard Mr. Micheals telling me about never calling him sir.

"Nico, can I see your schedule? I wanna see if we have more classes together?" Rachel said. When the kid, Nico I guess, passed his schedule she looked at it and said "You have History with Annabeth next, Math with all three of us Sixth, Mythology with me Seventh, Homeroom with Annabeth and me, weird that we didn't talk to you then, and Gym with Percy Ninth. Sorry, I can ramble a lot."

When Rachel mentioned us having Gym he grimaced, and I heard him mutter something like "Oh, joy."

He took his schedule and told her "You can talk for the two of us. Anyway, sounds like I'll have good company."

Annabeth was looking at him with her "Let me figure out everything you're thinking and why" face.

"Percy, why does he hate you?" she asked.

"What makes you think I hate him?" he said. His voice didn't suggest any form of denial.

"Your face, when he came in, when he sat with us, when you learned you had a class with him, you face broke in anger or disgust for a second."

"Huh. Gotta work on that. Nice observation. Anyway he crashed into me before, and now one of my books is dented. Also, I just don't like people."

"Nailed it!" She turned to me. "Percy, you're screwed."

I hate today.


	2. Nico the Prickly

A Boarding School Story Chapter 2

This story is AU and yaoi. Don't like, don't read. I do not own characters from Percy Jackson, but I might create a few later on. Did I seriously need to write this again?

**Nico's POV**

I grabbed my music from my pocket and started to hum along as I walked back to my room. A day down, and aside from meeting Percy, no major mishaps. When I got to the dorm room I turned my music up and sang under my breath.

"Oh but in the eyes of God,

We said our vows before the pews,

Not until death do we part,

So until then I'm stuck with you"

I let myself chuckle. That didn't happen too often lately, since the… accident. My throat tightened up at the thought. I stopped humming, unlocked my door, and dumped my books down before locking myself in and falling on the bed.

**Percy's POV**

Well, that's another ruined day. Dyslexia makes school hard enough but I just end up ruining it even more on my own. I'd definitely lose my mind if it weren't for Rachel and Annabeth.

And that new kid Nico. We had three or four classes together and he either ignored me or looked angry and uncomfortable whenever I tried talking to him. All I did was knock his books over and I'm on his bad side. And the books I saw made me really regret having him hate me. Voodoo and Hoodoo in Your Life, and Death around the World.

Just wait for the pins in your ass Percy.

I sat down in my room and grabbed my music. Thank God for Friday. Now just drift off…

I woke up slowly. Thumpf. Thumpf. The hell?

Thumpf. "Damn." THUMPF! I looked at the time. 10:18. My Ipod was dead. I left my room to see what the hell the noise was. I knocked on the door next to mine. Huh, thought it was empty. I knocked louder.

"Please shut up, I'm coming." I know that voice. I sighed and looked at the ceiling "What did I do?"

The door opened and showed me Nico, swathed in black, ear buds in, enormous knife in hand. I swallowed thickly when I saw it.

"Nico…"

"Very good. I'm Nico, you're Percy." Sarcasm. Should've seen that coming.

"I'm next door and there's thumping or something."

"Well, as you can see, I throw knives so that's probably it." No apology his tone.

"Well can you stop or move your target or something?" I said, getting antsy. He's pushing me really bad. In a day he decided to hate me and get under my skin, and now I find out he could probably kill me tonight if I'm not careful.

"Oh, sure. I didn't know there was anyone else up here." Now he was getting kinder, or at least less prickly.

"Thanks. The girls and I are hanging out at the Café tomorrow around noon. Wanna join us?"

"Sure. Thanks." He smiled and shut the door.

I lay down on my bed. THUMPF! THUMPF! THUMPF!

Well, I guess that worked out. Kinda.


	3. The Cafe

A Boarding School Story Chapter 3

This story is AU and yaoi. Don't like, don't read. I do not own characters from Percy Jackson, but I might create a few later on. I'm going to mention music, art, and other stuff like that. Any names, titles, etc. are probably not mine. If you think they are, you should ask why the world is not completely different than it is now.

**Nico's POV**

"NICO! We're over here!" Rachel's voice cut into the calm murmurs of tired people in the Cafe. I popped out my earbud and made my way over to their table. I made sure to sit away from Percy. I know it seems petty, and that's because it is, but frankly I couldn't care less. Until he can prove to me that I shouldn't hate him, I will.

Annabeth broke me out of my thoughts, "Nico, you okay? Or do you always zone out like that?" Her eyes showed calculated concern. Her I liked.

"Oh, yeah. I float out sometimes. How long was I gone?"

Percy spoke this time, "Maybe two minutes since you sat down. Glad you could join us today." And then he smiled at me. I shivered in my mind. Smiling is something I'm still not all that accustomed to.

"Same here. Not to pry, but can you tell us some stuff about yourself?" Rachel again. Might as well tell them something. I have a feeling I'll only be hanging around with them for awhile.

"Well, I love to read and draw." That got Annabeth's attention along with Rachel's.

"What do you read?" I thought that part would catch her.

"Mostly fiction. Harry Potter, the Heir Series, Hunger Games, and His Dark Materials are some of my favorites. I also just started this whole Stephen King binge. He is too great." Well, there goes my keep them guessing routine.

Annabeth is looking at me in that too-smart way again. "I approve. He's in." And Now I'm confused again.

"What just happened?" I hate being confused.

"I refuse to hang out with anyone who doesn't have a certain amount of intelligence. You pass, which doesn't happen too often. So, congrats, you're in, and you're stuck with us."

**Percy's POV**

Well, now Nico was in with us. Excellent. I mean, having a cute guy in my friend group won't hurt all that much. Oh yeah, I should probably get that out of the way now. I'm openly bi, have been for maybe a year and a half. I've dated Rachel and Annabeth at times, but we work better as friends. I'm just glad none of us got bitter over it.

I turned my attention to Nico, who was getting his identity explored by the others. "What sort of music do you listen to Nico?" I know that he hates me, but that's going to change.

"A lot of Ozzy, and at the sake of sounding like a hipster, the rest is kind of obscure." He was doing this on purpose. Giving us small answers and waiting until we get bored. I'm not having it, though.

"Try me." I figure prodding him for a while will get some sort of result. Whether it's good or bad is more of the question here.

"I'm really into Regina Spektor, Amanda Palmer, The Dresden Dolls, Voltaire, sort of dark stuff. Have I lost you yet?" He almost lost me, I'll admit. Almost.

" The Dresden Dolls? Rachel, why does that sound so familiar?" It did sound familiar. Rachel always kept tabs on that sort of thing, so she would know. I couldn't help but notice that Nico was eying me differently now. He was trying to see if I was bullshitting or not. Rachel, come through for me.

"The Dresden Dolls...hhhhmmmm. They're the ones who do coin operated boy, right?" That's my girl. Rachel may have a weird way of thinking, but I know I can count on her.

"Thanks. I knew it was there somewhere. Anyway, coin operated boy is one of the songs I play best."

Annabeth snorted. "If you can call that playing."I shot her a playful look. "Watch it, or my guitar becomes your new alarm clock."

"You play guitar?" Nico shows interest, weird. I thought this would take longer.

"Yeah, why?"

"No particular reason, but I think I found a new way to screw with you." Okay, angry Nico is scary. Friendly wide smile Nico is downright terrifying.

"Oh, joy."

Nico's POV

Today was fun, I can admit that. A good day, and I got to work on some drawings when I got back to my room. Altogether, not as suckish as I thought it would be. I sighed and laid down, readying my quiet alarm. Goodnight me.

Altogether, I'm happy with how this is turning out. I really appreciate the reviews, and more are welcome. I will try for longer chapters, but that will probably mean more space between updates. I procrastinate really badly, and I can only write so much in a day. Still, the story shall go on!


	4. Hate Comes With Love

A Boarding School Story Chapter 4

This story is AU and yaoi. Don't like, don't read. I do not own characters from Percy Jackson, but I might create a few later on. This chapter is all Nico! Love it or die!

**Nico's POV (Duh.)**

My alarm went off and I snapped up quickly. Every Sunday for a year and a half. Half a year before that, I finished my third round in the therapy game. The doctor's last suggestion had been using my art as a sort of calming device, and that preplanning it to a certain day would give me something to look forward too. When it worked, I was out of there in days. It may have had to do with the nurses I tricked into getting fired or put into therapy themselves.

I grabbed my easel, my folder, my speaker and my white Ipod. I was out of there in no more than five minutes. I walked into the forest connected to the school grounds on one of the walking trails. Maybe three minutes after I broke into a nice clearing just out of sight of the dirt roads. The sun, excellent. The wind, present but low. The perfect day to work on my portrait.

I set up my speaker on the grass by my feet. It was exactly one hour and twenty eight minutes of Bianca's favorite songs. Aside from memories and a few good pictures, it was the only thing I really had left of her. And then, there was that one in the safe. No. That one does not get touched.

The easel came up and I opened the folder, pulling out my pictures and clipping them to the paper side. This drawing was only so far gone, really just a plain head shape and a few hair lines. I swiped my eyes quickly and got to work. I started with increasing the hair volume, stopping where the ponytail would go.

I watched my hands, almost in a dream, move to give her face definition, bring her eyes into existence. Tears welled up slowly, but didn't fall. Eventually my vision was too clouded to make out anything other than colors of the clearing. I reached out and picked one of the pictures and sat down. I let the tears flow down my face, feeling them slowly drop off my chin.

"Bianca, why? Why did you have to go? Mom, you, the move, this place, what next? What do I have to go through next. You could have made this bearable. I hate you so much sometimes." No, that's not true. I hate everything else right now, but Bianca has always been the love within the hate. I sniffled a final time. "Every time. I'll never finish this if I can't get myself under control. I'm sorry Bianca. It should've been me."

I closed everything and shuffled my papers together. I turned the music off and gathered it all up in my arms. And that's when I saw him. "Percy, what in all hell are you doing here?" I asked through gritted teeth.

"Nico, I heard you leaving this morning. I thought I'd check on you." He sounded sad, apologetic even. I don't need his pity, and I don't need anyone checking up on me. I'm not a freaking child.

"Well, I'm fine. So you can just go back to your room and do whatever it is that you do and leave me alone." He went pale for a second and started to say something, but I brushed past him. I'll need somewhere new. Someplace farther off the beaten track. Somewhere away from this moron.

I felt like hours before I got to my bed again. I laid down and looked at the clock. Eight fifteen. Still enough time to go back to sleep. But I didn't. I sat in bed. I felt nothing. I thought nothing. I was purely empty.

Author's Notes

This chapter is something that came to me three minutes before sleep. Along with a couple of characters from my head. Sorry if it was somewhat short, but I feel like it had just a bit more quality. No clue what you guys think, but I'm pretty proud of it. I'll try and update soon. See you soon people!


	5. Love is a Sharp Thing

Boarding School Story Chapter 5

This story is AU and yaoi. Don't like, don't read. I do not own characters from Percy Jackson, but I might create a few later on. This one is entirely Percy as his point of view/reaction to last chapter.

**Percy's POV**

I woke up to light quick shuffling next door to me. A door closing and shutting. Hurried steps. I glanced at the clock. Way too early for actual activity. So, what was Nico doing?

I sat up slowly and looked out my window. God he's fast. He's already out the front (we're on the top floor, so how that happened I'm not sure) and halfway down the town path. Might as well see what he's up to, there's no way I can fall asleep again.

Dressing quickly, I made my way down and out the dorms. Not a single waking soul. I ducked out in time to see Nico slip into the woods with something big over his shoulder. What could he possibly be doing?

I followed behind, partly by choice, partly by need to keep quiet. Any noise and he would turn and see me coming. It's too calm for him not to. He finally turned off of the barely defined path and into full forest. I have to slip further behind him because there is no way in hell I can get through there without creaking and crashing through everything.

By the time I feel brave enough to actually follow him in, he's already stopped in some clearing, with music and an easel set up. He seems focused, infinitely unaware of anything outside that sheet of paper. He doesn't seem to be the little gothic kid I met a few days ago. He's more in tune, more of his own character then I've seen so far. He's free of inhibition. Nico is amazing.

And in the few seconds it takes me to realize all of that, he's broken. The whole of his composure crashed in seconds. He was on the ground, his face streaked with tears already. In probably the smallest voice I've ever heard, I hear his voice. "Bianca, why? Why did you have to go? Mom, you, the move, this place, what next? What do I have to go through next. You could have made this bearable. I hate you so much sometimes." My God. What could have possibly happened to him?

I heard him sniffle one more time. "Every time. I'll never finish this if I can't get myself under control. I'm sorry Bianca. It should've been me." There is no possible way I could feel more pain then I do right now. Until he sees me, and I see his eyes. They are burning through me, making me smaller, barely alive in that reflection.

"Percy, what in all hell are you doing here." I barely get the composure I need to answer him. He is different again. More closed off than ever. Sad Nico is gone, replaced fully by pure rage.

"Nico, I heard you leaving this morning. I thought I'd check on you." Pathetic. My voice falls out of me in a lump. I barely hear it myself. But Nico heard, loud and clear.

"Well, I'm fine. So you can just go back to your room and do whatever it is that you do and leave me alone." It stung, stabbed at me. The contempt dripping of his words pushed me to the edge of everything. I felt all the blood drain out of me to God knows where. I tried to say something, but he was gone, pure fury pushing its way back out of the forest.

I slowly dragged myself back to the dorm rooms. Then it came to me. Before he saw me, he was in way more pain then I'll ever know, but his first response to me was to change it into anger. He obviously had problems everywhere from what that showed me. I need to get him to talk, but I'll need to get close to him for that to ever happen. Fat chance.

Then again, if I can find out who this Bianca is, I can probably reach out to him without getting spurned. I need outside help on this.

But first, I grabbed one of my notebooks and my cell and started to put my plan in motion.

Author's notes

I feel the mojo coming to me now. Everything is starting to flow together now. Working on this is great, and reviews will be appreciated etc. etc. Sorry if I screwed up then to than, because I feel like I did pretty often in here, it's the only piece of grammar that gives me a lot of trouble. But, I digress. See you soon people!


	6. Just a Bug

Boarding School Story Chapter 5

This story is AU and slash. Don't like, don't read. I do not own characters from Percy Jackson,yada yada. Soon, oh so soon, will my mind spawn characters appear.

**Nico's POV**

I woke up as my alarm blared evilly over me. I was on my floor, and I didn't remember going to sleeping. I was still in my clothes from yesterday. _Gross, what happened..._ That's when I saw the easel leaning on my wall, instead of where the closet was meant to be. _Right, yesterday. _And then I thought back further. _Percy! I swear if I see him today I'll... He'll be... I'm too tired for death threats. _Whatever.

I shut the alarm off and re dress. It's still set to Sunday super early time, so I have a little while to spare before school. I grab my black Ipod and shove it in my pocket. I go down to tie my shoes and come face to face with a clumsily ripped sheet of paper. _Nico, if you ever want to talk, I'll be right next door._ I can practically see his annoying smile. Who in all hell has a right to be happy that much?

I crumple the note up and toss it. I grab my bag and head out. My eyes swim for a second when I stand up, but I blink until it goes away. I walk quickly down the hall past Percy's room and down the stairs, humming all the while. I see Annabeth and Rachel in homeroom, but we don't talk. I've figured out that Rachel sucks at waking up until she gets it all in a burst during Art. Annabeth and I would probably just sit and stare at each other without her to keep the conversation flowing.

Art takes forever to arrive. For years, its been the only class that I can truly let out my feelings out. In art I can plan out my therapy projects and no one will even glance sideways. When the bell rings to signal that the period begins I get a pleasant surprise. "No Percy today?" I look upwards sarcastically, "What did I do to make you guys so happy?"

I heard a larger sort of laugh from behind me. When I turned around I saw a pretty sort of guy there, standing. He was taller than me, with blond hair and blue eyes. I have a sort of instinct with people. This time, it told me he would be interesting. He just stood there, not saying anything.

When the girls looked up and saw him, the room exploded. "Jason! What are you doing here? I didn't know you came for another year! Where have you been? Where's Thalia?" Questions exploded out of the two of them while they hugged him. Jason, eh? And who was this Thalia?

Jason laughed and brushed them off of him. "Yeah, I'm here for another year, our vacation ran a bit too long, but since I'm the dumb one I got sent back here first. Thalia and our cousin Avery should be down here by the end of the week." He sat himself down next to me. "And who is this little guy?"

"This little guy is a champion knife thrower with a dislike of being touched." That got him off me quick enough. I smiled sweetly at him. Now I go in while he's still off guard. "So, who is the blond one?"

Rachel took over the conversation, as usual"Nico, this is Jason, a friend of ours from last year. He and his sister made up about half of our group last year. And then he didn't contact us for the whole summer and made us think we would never see him again!" The last part of it was put more as an angry challenge, which I saw Jason smartly decline from taking.

Annabeth looked over at me "So, master of knives, what do you think of him? Does he meet your standard for friendship?"

"That barely exists. You and Rachel, just barely above. Jason here, not as much. Percy, well he's drowning in hate. But, your all rising pretty... pretty... Mr. Micheals, can I get a pass to the bathroom? I'm gonna hurl!

**Percy's POV**

Well, I've set my plan in motion. First, pretend to be sick, give Nico a chance to rid himself of me for a little while. Then, with some pushing, he might open up to me just a bit more. No one gets to hate me. I doesn't happen. And with Nico, it's way more painful than I would have thought it was. Maybe because he's so blunt about it? Maybe, but maybe it's something more. Just maybe...

**Nico's POV**

"No Nurse Poltus, I'm sure I'm fine. Just a little bug I caught is all."

She didn't look too convinced "I want you in bed for the day. Bugs can be unpredictable, even if it is just a twenty four hour deal. Come back tomorrow so I can check how it's affecting you."

"Of course ma'am. I'll get out of your hair now." I retreated out of the nurse's office quickly and ran down and out into the courtyard. As I walked back to my dorm, I thought of how weird it was to have a nurse that actually made an effort. A thick cramp pushed through me again, and some high screeching went though my brain.

I stood up straight, it was already gone. "That was weird. But no stupid bug is putting me out of commission. I'll be fine by tomorrow." I started walking again, and Bianca's voice slipped into my thoughts.

"I just wanted to check up on you. Just wanted to check up on you, you,check up on you, you, check up, check up, on you, on you, you, YOU."The words shrieked at me now, some sort of evil siren that stole Bianca's face. I collapsed in my bed, not remembering when I walked the stairs.

"Let me have peace!" I cried into my pillow and blacked out again.

**Author's Notes**

Okay, the story will flow and flow and you shall review, and we'll all be happy. Deal? Deal. And to all those who reviewed already, thank you, it's you that keeps the juices flowing.


	7. Collapse

Boarding School Story Chapter 7

This story is AU and slash. Don't like, don't read. I do not own characters from Percy Jackson, but I might create a few later on.

**Nico's POV**

I wake up quickly and shake myself. I'm covered in a cold sweat, and I'm panting heavily. My dreams were filled with crowds of sirens in the shape of Bianca, Rachel, Annabeth, and some girl I've never seen before. They were chaotic and bizarre. I've only had dreams like this so often before now. They've never been good.

As I walk out my door, Bianca's voice fills my head again. "Ring around a rosie," My head throbs. "A pocket full of posies," I take a shaky step forward. "Ashes, ashes," My hands clutch my head and my book bag falls to the ground. "We aaaaaaaallllll faaaaaaaaallll" The world is spinning out of control. "DOWN!" The blackening world fades out of focus again.

**Percy's POV**

I feel refreshed. A good break from school is always welcome, and with Jason's help, Nico might stop hating me. That refreshed feeling lasts about as long as it takes me to walk out of my room and trip on whatever it is in my way. My eyes wandered down. Nico was lying there, his normal tan turned to a sheet white. He looked like death had come down onto him.

"Nico? Nico, what's happening? Please talk to me. Nico, Nico! Come on, wake up!" I scooped him up and carried him into his room. He had left the room unlocked, lucky for him. I laid him down on his bed and grabbed the wall phone out of its cradle. I dialed the nurse's office quickly. I was almost panicking. Scratch that, I was panicking.

"Nurse's office. Is there an emergency?" There was true concern in her voice. That's why I actually liked this school. The place seriously cared about us.

"Nurse Poltus, this is Percy Jackson, student number 33617. I just found Nico Di Angelo collapsed in the hallway outside our rooms. He's pale and cold, what's happening?" I heard the desperation in my voice, but I really don't care. Nico is the only important thing right now.

"Di Angelo? He came in yesterday after he threw up during art. He said it was only a bug. I'll be down there as quickly as possible. Where are you again?"

"We're down on the top floor in Chiron Hall. Please hurry." I felt terrible. How could I let this happen?

_(Magnificent Time Skip)_

"Well, he doesn't have anything I can recognize. If it is a bug, it's much more advanced than any I've come across." That doesn't sound good at all.

"You can fix him, right?" Please say yes, say yes. I swear to Gods if you don't say yes,

"No. I would need some sort of medical history. I need to see if this sort of thing has happened before, how they fixed it then, what sort of aftereffects it would lead to. Without that sort of insight, my hands are tied." No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Why in all hell do they need medical records?

"Doesn't the school have his father's number and everything like that on file? Can't you contact him? I mean, it's worth a try, isn't it?" I'm practically shrieking at her now. I must sound like such a drama queen. I would give anything just to hear some hateful comment coming from him rather than this total silence.

She put her hand on my shoulder. "We'll call him as soon as we possibly can. I need you to keep calm and take care of him while I go back to the office. It's obvious you care for him. Keep some soup heated, a warm wash cloth on his forehead, be ready to call if he wakes up. I"ll pull some strings and get you out for the day. You'll be Nico's personal nurse."

"Can I help in any way?" We both turn to see Jason in the doorway. He looks bedraggled, but he's still in jeans and his jacket.

"Of course. Just keep him comfortable and contact me if he changes at all. I'll check in around noon. If I can't contact his father by then, well, let's hope I get to him by then." Is she a hack or what? Keep him comfortable, bull! Whatever Percy, just calm down. Not like you could do much better.

**Nico's POV**

_Nothing makes sense. I'm in a stretcher while Percy and Rachel are prepping to split my head open. The world melts. Bianca is in the guillotine while Mr. Micheals tangos with Annabeth. Crows are flying in by the thousands. The town square empties out while Jason gets carried off. Someone with multicolored hair falls into a lake as some punk girl starts throwing punches at me, Jason, Percy, everyone._

Sound dies while color seeps out of the world around me. Everything is silent, snowstorm white. I am completely immobile. Bianca is standing in front of me. And I know I am about to die.

** Author's Notes**

I am super excited about how well this story is going. The next chapter is going into development post haste, and will get to you all as quickly as possible. See ya people!


	8. The Self Help Spirit

Boarding School Story Chapter 8

This story is AU and slash. Don't like, don't read. I do not own characters from Percy Jackson, but I might create a few later on.

**Nico's POV**

"Bianca, what's happening? Why am I here?" Nothing makes sense.

"Because you need to learn." Her voice is the old, beautiful one from when she was alive, not the shouting evil that's been haunting me since. It's quiet, but it forces me to listen more attentively. "You beat yourself up for my death, my mistakes. You have shut yourself out from nearly all human contact. You were cynical when I was alive, and that was you, but now you reject all emotion that ties you to the world."

I don't feel sad at seeing my sister like this, only ashamed at the truth. "I know. How was I supposed to cope, though? After you were gone, I had nothing. My life just became a void. There was nothing that could bring you back."

"Nothing could bring me back. That's true. But my death was not your fault. It should not have been you. I will always love you, on this plane and next, but you have to remember that love, and how to give it to others."

"You left too soon. We had just gotten used to mom being gone, and then it was just me and dad. You were the whole part of me being able to interact with the world. I don't have empathy, or compassion, or sympathy, or any of those other things that keep people happy and together. All of that went away with you."

"You still know how to give it. You haven't let me go, so you don't see any of the beauty of the world. You are far more intelligent than I ever could have been, and your art is too great to be wasted on sadness. You need to bring the fun back into your life. My time ended early, that's true, but I got what I needed. Ever since I died, you stopped pushing on. You stopped trying to live. You need to continue on before your time here is finished."

"Okay, fine, I'll live life to the fullest, I'll be the happiest, most chipper kid the world has known in decades. I'll have thousands of little friends who I can pretend matter to me. My life will be a whirlpool of adrenaline and dopamine and I'll let my sadness fall away, because that's what anyone who's been through what I have should do. I'll fill my art with happy landscapes, and I'll stop reading about death and pain. But even if I do all of that, you won't come back!" That's the first time I've ever talked back to Bianca. It felt good.

"Are you about finished?" When I nodded, she continued, "I'm not asking you to bring me back. I'm dead now. You still haven't accepted it. You still think about the past, how it_ could _have been, how you can bring me back. You can't change it. I'm not asking you to change your life or your actions, or even your outlook. I'm asking you to accept that I'm gone. I'm asking you to open your walls a bit more, and to show just a little emotion. I need you to let me go, if only the tiniest bit. The first step to that is to admit."

"Admit what?"

"Since I died, you haven't said a word about my death. Only that I left too soon, or went away, or even that I abandoned you. But that says there's a chance that I'll come back. And I won't. You need to admit that I've passed on, and that it's forever."

That hits me like a brick. "Bianca... I can't. You. No, you're." My throat catches. "Bianca, you're my sister and I love you. But you're also dead. You're right. I can live without you. I'm never going to love life as much as you did, or be as great at being as social as you were, but I can at least try for you."

My eyes are so close to clouding over completely now.

"And that's all I ask of you, Nico." She kissed me on the forehead, and it felt truly real. "I love you more than you'll ever know. Goodbye." And now the tears are really flowing.

"Goodbye Bianca. I love you too." The pure white of the faded out along with Bianca as she smiled at me one last time.

**Percy's POV**

"Any sign?" Jason's voice calls in from the hall.

I continue to stare at Nico. "No. Nothing. He's-" I stop. He's moving, struggling out of the covers and making little noises while he thrashes. "Jason? He's waking up! Get in here!"

His eyes open and take in the room. Then he sees me. "Percy?"

**Author's Notes.**

Yeah... No notes today. Just, yeah.


	9. Life Story

Boarding School Story Chapter 9

This story is AU and slash. Don't like, don't read. I do not own characters from Percy Jackson, but I might create a few later on.

**Nico's POV**

Percy is really there? He seriously looked after me? Why? I hated him, and showed it pretty freely. The next thing I know, he's scooping me into his arms and crushing the air out of my lungs.

"NICO! Ithoughtyouwoulddie! The nurse had no idea what you had, we all thought you had some crazy mystery virus and you'd die!" He's practically screaming in my ear.

I hear my voice come out sort of crushed. "So your first reaction is to try and crush the life out of me?" Sarcasm. Old habits die hard, I guess.

"Right, right, I'm sorry. It's just," He pauses and stares off for a second. "Jason! Where are you? Nico's finally awake!" And he's yelling at my bedside. Marvelous.

"Calm it down, Fishbrain. I'll be there in a second." He walks in with a big pot of soup and a cheery smile. "Anyway, let's celebrate the fact that he's alive. You're sure he's alive right?"

I throw a pen and hit him in the face. "Shut up, Grace. I'm not a zombie just yet. With the two of you shouting in here, I'll be lucky to live through the day."

Percy went somber again. "Nico, what was up with that who fainting deal? Can you tell us what any of that was about? I mean, it's not everyday that the nurses here get stumped." I sigh.

"Sure. But Jason, do you mind leaving for a little while? I'm sure the girls and the nurses would love to know what's happening." He nods and walks out. Well, that was easy. "Percy, I'm about to enlighten you. Promise me that you won't comment, question, or interrupt until I'm finished."

He looks stunned before he nods at me quickly.

**Percy's POV**

I'm the first one he tells? The first one he's going to unload everything on? Not what I expected. He sighs again and starts the story.

"Okay, here goes. I grew up in a small town, something like fifty miles from here. I was not a nice child." Shocker. "I was even worse than I am now. I had a strange interest in the macabre parts of life. I didn't talk, I didn't make friends. I practically snapped another kids arm for touching me. I went to therapy for a little while. They diagnosed me as an extreme introvert with a complete lack of human empathy." Something tells me this story isn't going to get much better.

"With help from my sister, Bianca, I got better at social interaction, but empathy still isn't my strongest suit. You'll probably understand more about that later. Anyway, I think the next step will be my mother. She was a stay a home mom with a love for her community. A tree was too close to the power lines? She was there. A park needed cleaning up? She organized it. She was every bit her daughter's mother. And the two of them were the exact inverse of me. And that made me love them all the more." He looked so vulnerable. I sat down in the bed next to him. He barely seemed to notice.

"Then, one day, while she was helping out late, she didn't notice the clouds. There was a one in eighty three thousand, nine hundred and thirty chance of her getting struck by lightning. But she was that one. That night, I became the child of a single parent. Bianca picked up the slack, though. She was the protective mother figure that I needed. She sacrificed her childhood to watch out for me. I can never make that up to her." He hasn't shed a single tear. But I hear it coming. I wrap my arm around him. He still doesn't notice.

"I went back to therapy for a while. My family had no trouble providing it when it was needed. We tried the whole 'Therapy in Groups' theory, but I still had no sympathy for the world. I got through it eventually, with a lot of help from Bianca. She was my world. But, you can probably guess what happened next." Who hates him up there? What could any child ever do to deserve this?

"Bianca," He swallowed. Really loudly. "Bianca died three years ago. She was in a car crash. She was on her way home from a local fair. I didn't go. The feeling about the place was all wrong. Truth be told, Bianca and three of her friends were driving on their way home when a drunk driver came swerving down and blind sided them. She was killed in the crash, and I heard later that her friend Zoe also came really close to biting it. The news completely shattered me." He was openly weeping now. One of his hands was behind him. The other had my arm in an iron grip.

"More therapy came and went. This time, they figured out that my art was my escape from the world. It let me be free from the world, if only for a little while. That's what the whole thing with my portrait was. Earlier this year, my father figured that moving away from the town where it all happened would help me finish my coping. He was right, in a sense. And, that's about all you need to know. Any questions?" My mind is buzzing. In minutes, Nico has gone from a little prickly hard ass to a small, weeping child. Every bit of power he seemed to have was gone in a flash.

"Nico... How? How did you do it? And why is all of this coming out now? Not to be harsh, but what does it have to do with you being sick?" He looks up at me. The tears are still there, but they're not flowing anymore.

"Percy, you were the first person I've talked about this with since Bianca died. That's three years. When the human mind rejects things for so long, it can have amazingly adverse effects on their health, morals, sanity, and who knows what else. The mind will always be more powerful than the body, in ways we will never understand. As for why now, you were almost right about me dying. While I was passed out, I had an epiphany. Bianca came to me, and I was sure I was dead. She told me that I had to accept that she was gone. Before today, I never said the words 'died', or 'death', or even 'deceased' about the two of them. But now that it's partially off my chest, I think I'll be okay."I reached around to hug him.

And that's when Jason decided to re-enter. "Hey guys, are you finished...?" His voice sort of died when he noticed the knife embedded in the wall next to his head. "What's happening?"

"Never burst into my room like that. I don't react well to that sort of thing." Nico turned to look at me. He showed no sign of ever crying. "And now that our little Hallmark moment is over, I'll thank you to get off my bed." I stood up and drifted to the door.

"Is there anything else we can do for you Nico?" His eyes. They still have that shadowed look. Underneath it is the complete power of someone with everything planned to the smallest detail.

He looks at Jason, "You called the Nurse, right?" Jason just nods at him. "Then I'm good."

**Author's Notes**

R.I.P Megan. We'll always miss you and Marty.


	10. Knife Throwing

Boarding School Story Chapter 10

This story is AU and slash. Don't like, don't read. I do not own characters from Percy Jackson, but I do own Avery! So excited for my first character!

**Nico's POV**

I wake up slowly today. I told the nurse a slightly edited version of my story, while my Dad spared about as much as a phone call. So much for paternal instinct in the spur of the moment. But, like any child of a rich parent, I have ways of getting back for inattention. At least I can admit it, albeit from a skewed third person logical kind of way.

So, with my day off from classes to recover my strength, I prepare for internet shopping. Tee shirts, downloads, and weird obscure products, here I come.

**Percy's POV**

A day without Nico is actually really boring now that I'm used to his personality. No snappy quips in my ear, no black shadow waiting to screw with my head, and a severe drop in threats to my life. Boring, just completely, utterly BORING!

Every period that I normally have with him lags into hours of work. Gym finally lets out at what feels like midnight, even with the sun on my back. After I change and make my way out of the schoolhouse _(Jailhouse) _building, I'm able to appreciate the walk back to the hall. I sigh when I actually have to walk inside. I decide to pay Nico a little visit.

As I finish the way to his door, I hear the signs of his knife throwing. Sounds like he's getting better, if only enough to keep that weird habit going. I knock quickly on his door.

"Nico?" The thumps from around his room stop for a second as he pauses. His voice comes through after a second or two.

"Enter." His pretentious fancy talk sure hasn't been hurt by being sick. I open the door up and stand still. Just as I thought, three small knives are stuck in the doorjamb and a giant butcher's knife is in the slit of the door. I'm just glad he's as good as he thinks he is.

"There are less insane ways of letting people in."

"Not as much fun. How were classes without me?" A little stiff, but he totally got some niceties knocked into him.

"Pretty boring. If I can change topic, where did the whole knives deal come from?" I asked as I pulled the butcher's knife out.

"I was nine and a half. My father and I got into a pretty big fight after he yelled at Bianca. I threw my steak knife at him and got it in the cupboards. When Bianca learned what happened and my dad calmed down, we got a sort of collective idea. Three months later, I had at least three different knife sets. A year after, we called up Guinness and into the records. Third best of the pre-adolescent tier in all of North America. I made a small appearance on one of those hackneyed talent shows. It was really one of the best bonding moments the three of us had."

"Your family is weird." Sarcasm in three. Two. One.

"NOOOOOO. The family that created me is abnormal to regular American standards? How utterly peculiar!" And then he was zipping around everywhere, grabbing needles stuck in targets, steak knives, heavy duty, kunai, and what looked like a butter knife at one point. He rolled them up in some sort of case. And then he dropped them into his bedpost. He'll never make sense. "It's so easy to hide these things. I love it."

"Will you ever make sense?" I mean, really.

"Probably not." He looked at me with a sort of sad look. "And Percy, you know how I promised Bianca that I would try to accept people and not be quite as horrible as a person?" There is no possible way he's reaching out to me again.

"Yeah. What about it?" I tried to keep my tone neutral.

When he spoke again, his voice was regular, happy, his normal inflections. "I'm done trying for the day. Please leave, and try your best not to die on the way back to your room." Should've seen that coming.

**Nico's POV**

Well, this is a strange turn of events. I never thought I could have an actual conversation with Percy. People in general, but seriously, Percy? My head must be pulling some sort of tricks on me. Whatever. As I flop lazily into bed once more I let my mind sink off, and the last of my energy sinks away.

**Author's Notes**

**Avery: **The hell, man? What happened to "My first character, I'm so excited, mehfehfeh?"

**AthenaBoy: **Too bad. You'll have to wait. And to my gracious audience, a quick apology is in order for taking so long. I bid thee adieu. (Also, may the fourth be with you, and may your Cinco de Mayo be grand.)


	11. Avery

Boarding School Story Chapter 11

This story is AU and slash. Don't like, don't read. I do not own characters from Percy Jackson. That is all.

**Nico's POV**

"Thalia! Avery!" The quiet lull of homeroom is broken when Jason practically shrieks at the newcomers. The girl, Thalia, has deep black hair and a punk-rocker look. I also see an excellent stud nose ring. The guy, Avery, had hair in a colorful spiral in blue, red, and natural blonde. Both of them have three earrings, Thalia in the right and Avery in the left. I approve.

And then the three of them are walking in my direction. I hear Jason say something to them about introductions, and I know I'll be expected to talk. Damn.

"Thalia, you know Rachel and Annabeth. Avery, I suggest not flirting with either of them unless you want a slow and painful death." Rachel is still tired enough not to respond. Never thought I'd see that. "And this little guy" He reached down and placed a hand on my head, "Is Nico, resident mental case." I reached up and death gripped his hand. When I twisted, he fell over, half pain, half mocking me.

Avery looked me up and down. "I have a feeling that we're gonna get along well." He smiled, and I got a good view of a diamond shaped stud in his tongue.

"Hhhhhmmm." All I say. It'll probably pass as tiredness, but I still really can't stand talking to people.

From the ground I heard, "Nico, what happened to lessening your anger and letting more people into your life?" Dammit Jason.

"Fine. I'm Nico. I did have a slight mental explosion not to long ago, but nothing permanent. I'm sure you'll pick up the details along the way." This seemed to satisfy them long enough for the few seconds it took the bell to ring. Until Art, I think I'm in the clear from insanity. Until I see Avery saunter into my Biology class. He had a sort of Percy-ish air about him, where people (only half so for myself) seemed drawn to him. Percy attracted people because he has that weird compulsion to be nice and friendly.

Avery had people in the palm of his hand because he had some of that, but he had that certain feel about him like he could stand on top of the world with only a little difficulty. That aura of self-assuredness was what made others draw around him like flies to honey. And he knew it. By Science's end, he had probably hit on nearly every girl in the class. A few guys were also drawn into that weird spiderweb he had.

When that was over (it was muscles we had to study for, right? Or was it evolution this week?) I realized all hell would come around when Percy and Avery met. Not sure why, but two really magnetic people in the same place _feels _like it could be some sort of horrible set up. Or is that just through my outlook? I mean, there's a reason for introverts, and that's probably part of it. I hate when I try to have profound thoughts this early.

I walk into the room with my usual quick footsteps and see Avery and Thalia, talking at light speed with Rachel and Annabeth. Well, everyone's awake and social now. Whoo. Hoo. I sit down quickly and get my stuff together, sit with them, and wait for fireworks. Three. Two. Showtime.

Percy ran in with seconds to spare, as per usual, and seemed to stop short. I smiled widely as Avery got up and made his way over to him. _Like a thunderstorm and a tidal wave. _Don't get me wrong, I'm fine with Percy, but really any amount of chaos is welcome.

"Percy, how ya been?" And then they hug. And I am deprived of my daily dose of mayhem. As they make their way back to the table Percy starts calling over to me.

"Nico, have you met Avery yet?" And Avery has that cheeky grin like he knows what I was waiting for.

Through gritted teeth I reply "We've been acquainted." When they separated, I saw Percy jump about three feet in the air. And then I see Percy angry, disgruntled at the very least, for the first time.

"Avery, you can't do that anymore. You lost that privilege last year." Not bad. But still, anger doesn't play well off of Percy. It doesn't seem genuine.

"Sorry Percy. Your ass is just so perfect I forgot myself for a second." And Avery is gone again, that grin still plastered on. I knock on Percy's head to get his attention.

"I need information again. Namely, what the hell just happened?" And then Percy is happy-go-lucky again. There is no logic in his emotions.

"Me and Avery had a thing going for a little while when we first met. A sort of magnetic attraction, but it faded pretty quick." _Very Interesting._ "So now, being him, he's even cheekier to me than to everyone else."

"That's about all I need to know. I'll be sure to ask again if something else happens." I doubt that'll happen, though. Thalia started to question me for awhile, and we had a nice chat about music and if there are any good songs left. But, I felt my mind drift just a bit when the period comes to a close.

When the bell rings, I dawdle a bit and wait for Percy to leave. When he makes his way out, I use that as a chance to look and see how right Avery is about a certain perfect ass.

**Percy's POV**

_(End of the school day)_

Well, with Thalia and Avery back I feel the old group is finally back together. Well, Avery is still pretty new, and the others will take a while to get used to him. I don't consider Nico as a greenhorn anymore, he's made it apparent that he can take care of himself. That and it really isn't possible not to like him. He's got a great personality (when he isn't threatening death) and he's funny, strong, pretty cute too. I finally get onto the main path and then a weird thought comes to me.

I start thinking about Nico's lips. That smirk, the way he emotes with just that little quiver of the mouth. And then I think about kissing him. How soft it would be. How warm. I lick my lips and remember to breath in. I open my eyes- when did I close them- and realize I've stopped walking. I shake my head and walk a bit faster than usual. The way that kid messes with my head.

**Author's Notes**

I worked hard on this one! I want some reviews, people, or I'll never improve! What did you think of Avery? Did I get off to a good start with my new guy, or did I fail entirely? Be sure to tell me, and I'll be sure to attempt improvement. See ya, people!


	12. Catalyst

Boarding School Story Chapter 12

This story is AU and slash. Don't like, don't read. I do not own characters from Percy Jackson. All of this plot belongs to me, unless I ripped it off from someone inadvertently. Avery is also all mine.

**Nico's POV**

Avery has made it his mission in life to annoy the hell out me. He chases me, always with that grin. My ass is starting to get bruised from the pinches he so kindly bestows on it. Still with that grin. He is loud, rambunctious, and full of innuendos. The Anti-Nico. The worst part is that damn aura he has which forces me to accept it.

Then, one day he decides to up and lose it on the A meter. I'm still deciding whether A stands for Avery or Asshole. Anyway, as fate would have it, he got to join my gym class when he randomly entered the school. This has of course led to him wolf whistling me, trying to seduce me in the locker rooms (both funny and uncomfortable), while still finding an inner well of cheekiness for Percy.

What was I saying? Oh yeah. He blows the top off the meter and starts going for the towel whip. Where he got a towel is a mystery as we don't have gym showers. His chases me out of the locker room, thankfully waiting until I was changed. And years of bookworming have not helped my running skills. I veer towards the woods, hoping to lose him in the under growth. That plan fails when I see the after school rush. Too many people to get through. As I run into Chiron Hall, my next plan involves catching the elevator to the top floor.

And now the score is uncanny surprise 2, Nico 0. Because the elevator is already going up to floor 10, from floor 2. Meaning he'll definitely catch me if I stay here. The door behind me is starting to open. I charge for the stairs, my last hope. As I climb the first case I hear fabric rustle by my ear as he whips at me. Letting him catch me probably wouldn't be too bad, probably just a friendly nooggie and a suggestive whisper in my ear. But giving up that easily isn't me. No Di Angelo will ever give up without a fight.

Two staircases, three, four, and at floor five's landing I crash into something familiar, sending me and mystery obstacle to the ground.

"Nico?" Jason's standing above me, and I notice I'm perched on top of Percy. Not lying, it's pretty comfy. I hear Avery reach the landing and chuckle at my position.

"Package for ya, Percy." Before I can get a snappy retort out, he's already up the stairs and gone. Then I hear Percy grunt.

**Percy's POV**

Nico coming from nowhere and crashing into me is not the best, but not unwelcome. When he stays perched on top of me, I feel the weight begin to suffocate me. Almost like he's noticing me for the first time, Nico just sort of looks at me. It takes him a minute more to roll off.

"Sorry Percy. He, well Avery was being Avery," Jason helped him up while I struggled to get my breath back. When I stood, Nico resumed the weird staring thing. His eyes sort of pinned me in place. I was afraid to breathe for a few seconds before he just walked away. And then Jason was talking, and everything was back to normal.

"Well that was abnormal. Anyway-" I cut him off.

"Jason, I'm sorry, but I just remembered that I have a paper I didn't even start yet." He just nods, understanding. Neither of us really have the best memory or aptitude, but we weren't sent here to flunk. We split ways and I call down "Get me a blueberry smoothie,"

"Maybe!" gets shouted back up at me before he's too far out of range. I climb slowly, turning over my relationship with Nico. He's maybe a year younger than me, but he's smarter than me fifty times over. He's essentially a male Annabeth. And he's so cute.

I start making a mental checklist of why he affects me the way he does. Big, adorable eyes? Check. Full lips? Check. Personality? Definite check. And as I just got to notice, his body and mine feel really nice together. I think scheming might benefit me here. While I try and figure out who can help me with this, I hear the greatest noise in the world. Nico singing and banging away on a keyboard.

**Nico's POV**

My keyboard was waiting right in my closet where it always was. It was an old friend. With some help from Bianca, I learned how to play pretty early on. Every once in a while, I needed to play and let the pure insanity out. The chords begin slowly, getting ever faster and faster. The music begins to fall apart when Percy's heartbeat gets into my head. I get the tempo back under control and fight my inner thoughts. Darn it Percy.

I switch to a slower song. I start the continuous three chord repeat, putting my voice into the air to join the sound. The top floor was just me, Jason, and Percy. With them gone, I can air my thoughts.

And then the song is over, and applause starts up from outside my door. I open up my door and see Percy, alone and smiling down at me. And I actually smile back.

**Author's Note**

I don't know about this one. It feels like it's missing something, but I can't figure out what. Also, as a little side note, once this story is done I'm starting another one that's more like the books, and Avery is a son of Eros (more of lust than love) and I thought that would be something you guys would enjoy. See ya people!


	13. Matchmaking?

Boarding School Story Chapter 13

This story is AU and slash. Don't like, don't read. I do not own characters from Percy Jackson. Avery is mine, though.

**Nico's POV**

The moment seems to last for years. Just the two of us staring into the others eyes, small smiles playing on our mouths. We don't say anything. We don't blink. We don't need to, and I don't think we will from now until infinity.

I feel no compulsion to move, think, or do anything but look straight into Percy while I feel him do the same. My mind has been shut off to the world around. All I can see is a sea of soft green. Like the sun on the waves, or one of the many meadows I've taken to for my portraits. I can see everything that he is and everything he was. I've never truly felt this way before.

Even with Bianca, feelings like this one dimmed and chilled in seconds. But now I'm sealed, I'm flying through the greens and feeling refreshed, undone. For the first time in too long I feel _young._

**Percy's POV**

He's gorgeous. His eyes are magnets, I can't escape them. They're deep black, or brown, some color too deep for me to comprehend. His whole being is there, the pain, the hardships he faced, the fear of more pain to come. But there's hope in them too. There are laughing sparks dancing through the dark, and I know that's how I want to live. I don't want to know anything, or be held to anything. I just want to be there. Laughing in the dark.

Then, from below, a crash breaks the moment. I feel myself gaping like a fish once the connection's broken. Nico is reeling a little. I put my hands on his body to steady him and he looks back up into my face. He glances back into me for a second and I feel warm again.

He moves slowly up to me. I hear his breath at my ear. "I'm sorry Percy." And then his lips are on mine. They're sweet, small. The kiss is the purest thing I have ever felt. And now he's pulling back, and there are tears in his eyes. His whole face is a dam about to break. I'm frozen as he steps back and shuts the door.

**Nico's POV**

I'm doing him a favor. Everyone that I've truly loved, or ever will, departed too young. I am a poison. I know that at this point I truly do care for Percy, so I need to avoid him at all costs. He can never know why I do this to him, because he'll only try to interfere.

I sit down on the floor. I have no energy to move myself from my place here, or from my despair within. I must be dead inside. That's the only possible way I can still be here. The only way.

**Percy' POV**

I call the elevator as I think to myself _"What happened this time?" _When the doors open, I get pulled in blindly. I thrash for a second before I lose my ferociousness. It's Avery. And he seems really pissed.

"What in all hell are you doing in here?" His hands are heavily clutched around a thick book, and his whole stance screams murder. I would be angry, but I can't find it under the sadness.

"What do you mean? You pulled me in here." I quickly learn that logic is not a good defense in here. Namely when I get thwacked on the head with that book.

"I mean, why did you leave Nico? You _should _be in there sucking each others faces! You _should _be with Nico, releasing all those annoying feelings on each other! Instead, you're here, having me explain this all to you! This is the most natural part of being human, and you blow it!" We reach the ground floor and he punches the button for floor ten before I can escape.

"How do you know what I _should _be doing? How do you even know what's happening?" I want to ask how he has the right to be angry when I'm the one dying over here. He pinches the bridge of his nose.

"UGH. You are such a moron sometimes. I set it up. You two are perfect for each other, but you've suddenly become a prude, and Nico will never explore outside his walls without a healthy push. And here, where my grand finale is supposed to go, I have to give a pep talk to you in an elevator." He punches the ground floor button. His anger is genuine. And all it does is fuel my annoyance at him.

"You set this up? How dare you? I was finally getting to him until you came and started screwing around with everything!" The door opens and I twist his hand before he can seal me in again. I start to walk anywhere but here before he starts screaming at me.

"Fine! Leave it all! Your love, your happiness, Nico's sanity, drop it! What do I care? All I do is-" The elevator door cuts him off.

Finally.

**Author's Notes**

I originally planned for this to be 14 chapters long. To hell with that idea, past me! This story still has a few bucks and kicks left in it!


	14. Interference

Boarding School Story Chapter 13

This story is AU and slash. Don't like, don't read. I do not own characters from Percy Jackson. Avery is mine, though.

**Avery's POV**

The door closes in my face and the elevator starts to rise. As it moves up, my anger fades and I realize something. Nico is obviously upset and torn if he turned Percy away. And an upset kid with knives, alone time, and a history like his usually doesn't turn out to well. I feel the blood leave my face.

The door opens on the third floor. Still too far away. Some kid with an idiot grin stands there.

"Hey, Avery, what's-" I pull out my phone and push past him towards the stairs. I open up a multi person call and send out to Rachel, Jason, Thalia, and Annabeth. Their voices connect one by one, and once they're all in I start instructing them.

"Guys, find Percy at all costs. Get him into that clearing off of the main forest walkway. Something big just happened between these two boneheads that we have to fix. I'm getting Nico now. I'm really worried about him. Hurry." I end the call before any of them can object. Either they help or they don't.

At this point I'm at the landing for the eleventh floor. I turn into the hallway and stop in front of Nico's door. There's a small sign that reads _Stay the fuck out, Please. _Classy. I knock loudly at the door. THWUCK! The response comes in seconds and scares the hell out of me. I try again.

"Nico, it's Avery. Let me in. Right now!" I hear the sound of six or seven locks opening at once, which is weird since the doors here only have the one. If I had tried my next plan of busting the door down, I wouldn't have gotten far. I open up the door and see him curled up on the floor. It didn't seem like he had moved at all. I turn and see a butcher's knife in the door at precise head height and only a single slide lock on the wall.

"What do you want?"He's trying to stare me down, and for a second he actually scares me. Then I see the rest of him. It's all a show. I sit down next to him.

"I was talking to Percy, and I want to know what happened here." Silence for a second. Then,

"Why is this your business?"

"Because I care about the two of you, and I want to help you however I can. And that means not letting your love lives dwindle and die." It comes out so naturally, I didn't think for a second before I answered.

"Fine. Percy and I have feelings for each other. I know mine is love, and I think he loves me too. And that's why we need to be apart." No, what? Where did that come from.

"I'm not following." He looks at me like I'm a moron.

"Everyone I have ever truly loved died before their time, against impossible odds. I'm a curse, plain and simple. That's not going to happen to Percy, though." What is that supposed to mean? I jump up quickly.

"Nico, you are not a curse. You'll only be hurting Percy if you keep this up." He looks up sadly at me.

"I'll break his heart, but he'll find another. He's a magnet, and so are you. The two of you will never have problems here. But if I get involved, who knows?" He stands up and starts talking louder. "Maybe it'll be a window fall this time. Or rabies, or a snake bite, or hell, maybe we can go on vacation and he'll drown in Venice. Or we can go for a classic piano drop. Who know? All that I know is that sooner or later, if he's with me, he'll get it."

And then I surprise both of us. I slap him. Pretty hard. He rights himself and his eyes scream death at me. "That's what you're doing. Except worse. Life hasn't been fair to you, but now you can't even take the good things for yourself. It all has to be terrible, even if it isn't. And now when something great comes to you, you can't see it for what it is. It's love, you idiot, you said so yourself."

He doesn't respond, but I can tell I'm getting through to him. He's never been yelled back at before. I can see it in his face. I turn down the anger in my voice.

"It's love, and it's yours. So go and take it. And let it grow. You and Percy are just too good together to let it whither and die. So come on. I know you want it as much as he does. Let's go."

I extend my hand to him, and he takes it. He looks at me and smiles sweetly.

"The two of you and those damn auras." I lead him to the elevator and start the way to the clearing.

**Jason's POV**

Dammit. I need to find Percy. I see Rachel and Thalia running to the fountain. I'll let them cover that area while I head to another of his favorites. The cafe.

I see him sitting there with a smoothie. Deep blue smears his lips. I text the others a quick message that I found him. I settle myself into the chair across from him. He looks up slowly. He looks like he just got destroyed in a fight.

"Hey Jason. What's up?" His voice is filled with tears.

"Frankly, I'm not sure. All I know is that we're going on a walk." He shakes his head.

"Nah, man. I'm gonna stay here for a little while." He'd never cry in public. Once he's out of the public eye, he'll collapse. That was essentially him after his first break up. He thought it was love, but she was really just a bitch. But I know that he's going the right way with Nico.

"No, you're going on a walk. Now get up before I throw you out of that chair." He looks at me angrily. I see the girls come into the cafe and sneak up behind him.

"May I at least know where it it is that we're going?" He's still not going willingly. Rachel throws a blindfold on him from behind. While Thalia and Annabeth grab his arms. Once he stops moving, I reach across and take his drink. After I take a long slurp, I stand.

"No, you can't know that. Ever so sorry. But more on that later. Let's go." I lead the way out as the girls pull up Percy and get him going. Rachel speaks up from behind me.

"You could've helped." I smile before I answer.

"Yeah, but you seemed like you were having too much fun." I felt three sharp kicks on my ass before we started walking again.

**Author's Notes**

** T**his chapter was a bit of an experiment in point of view for me. Thoughts?


	15. At Last

Boarding School Story Chapter 15

This story is AU and slash. Don't like, don't read. I do not own characters from Percy Jackson. Avery is mine, though.

**Nico's POV**

I really don't know where we're going. Once we reached the lobby Avery insisted that I blindfold myself. "For an extra sense of mystique" was his reasoning. I'm still not sure I want to know why he carries a blindfold with him.

I really haven't been making an effort to track our movements. In all honesty, if I weren't going through the whole Percy crisis I wouldn't trust him this much. Not to insult him, but rape isn't something I would put below him. "You're being a pessimist again, aren't you?" Damn. This time he probably means well. Probably.

I start to hear leaves crunch underfoot. A branch whacks my face. Well, that narrows down where we're going. As the ground finally evens out I hear the birds chirrup happily. Avery turns me around and pulls the blindfold off of my eyes. I wince at the sudden sunlight but I let the scenery overtake me.

It's one of the clearings, but not the one I used for peaceful painting. This one is much better. It has perfect rolling ground with short grass all around. The trees surrounding it were managed but unkempt enough that they weren't fake looking. The sun filtered through the canopy and gave the whole place a soft green light. It was beautiful. Avery nudged me softly. His voice was hushed.

"I knew you would love it. Jason and I found it a week ago. I figured this would be a perfect little love nest." He smirks lightly at me.

"So why are we here?" He started walking away into the brush.

"In a few seconds, I'm going to signal the others to let Percy in here. He'll be blindfolded, but he won't be allowed, or able, to take it off. I want you two to be happy and together by the end of today. And I'm sure not even you two can screw that up." He began to wave the blindfold over his head.

The second Avery entered the cluster of trees, Percy stumbled in about ten feet from me. His eyes were sealed off and his hands were tied behind his back. He didn't seem to be making any effort for escape or movement. I slowly made my way towards him. When I was close to his body again, I whispered into his ear,

"Hi Percy. Glad you could make it." I kissed him once more, this time fuller, slowly dancing my lips against his. I felt his mouth form a smile to match mine.

**Percy's POV**

I stopped resisting awhile ago. There's really no point. In a fight with me and Jason, I can win maybe half the time. With Thalia on his side, much less. With Rachel and Annabeth helping I have no chance. They're too determined.

When we stop walking, there's no sound. Then I'm being pushed and I feel light against the front of the blindfold. I can sense the others trying their hardest not to make noise while they leave. Now what? I move to clear my eyes, but then I notice that my hands are tied together. Of course.

I hear someone else moving towards me slowly. I don't move. Whatever they have planned for me will happen whether I like it or not. I hear Nico's voice ghosting into my ear, "Hi Percy. Glad you could make it." I feel my body shudder as he moves down and kisses me again. I definitely like this.

"Nico, can you untie me?" I ask when we break apart. He pulls the blindfold off and smiles at me. He reaches down to his boot and pulls out, big surprise, a hidden knife. He goes behind me and starts working on the knots.

"Do I want to know why that whole family seems to carry bondage equipment around with them?" I smile and flex my fingers. I turn to face him again.

"Probably not. It's a kind of freaky story." I pull him into a hug and pull us both down to the floor. I look around for the first time and realize how beautiful this place is. "Did you make them bring me here?"

"No, Avery orchestrated the whole thing. Seems to be really adamant about us being together. And as to this place, it's my first time being here. How we're going to leave is a bit of a mystery since we both came in blind." So that's how Avery got him to come here.

"Yeah, we'll burn that bridge later. Anyway can I ask you something?" He looks up at me with an Avery grin.

"You just did, but I'll give you another one." More sarcasm. Delightful.

"What happened back at your room? Why did you shut me out." He rests his head on my chest and closes his eyes. He sighs before he starts talking again.

"You have to understand the toll that my life has had on me. Sometimes I have those blackouts from earlier. That was maybe the fourth time. But it's also skewed my view of the world over and over again. My imagination is chaos. I thought myself a curse for a large portion of my life. I didn't want anything to happen to you."

"Nico, your the best thing I have. You definitely not a curse." He snickers and I feel it vibrate through my chest.

"I know that now. Avery slapped some sense into me. Literally and metaphorically." I start to sit up. No one gets to hit Nico.

"I'll kill him." Nico pushes back down on my body and slides up over my face. He smirks down at me again.

"And if he weren't there to do that, I wouldn't be here to do this." He leans down and kisses me again. It deepens quickly and I feel his tongue against my lips, his fingers in my hair. He pulls back and smiles brightly down at me.

"Thank you Avery." I roll us over and peck Nico quickly on his forehead. Under my breath I whisper "My turn." I move down and kiss his neck below his ear. When I suck lightly he starts to moan lightly underneath me. I pull back and we trade smile again.

"Thank you Avery." Nico is laughing underneath me. I fake being offended.

"I'm sorry, but who was it that gave you a hickey? I don't see Avery around here anywhere." I look around exaggeratedly to prove my point. He grabs my face and pulls my attention back to him. We kiss again before he rolls us over. He closes his eyes again and lets out a little content sigh.

"Let's stay here for a little while. I'm tired." And like that I swear that he's asleep.

"I would love to." I close my eyes, but I make sure to stay at least somewhat awake.

**Avery's POV **

Too cute. Time to go. And now that I got those two together, I can start my search for the next lucky guy or girl to be with me. And what a perfect day for it too.

**Author's Notes**

Ok, not sure how much longer the story will go on, but I do have a few more ideas. Until I can get my next ideas down, See ya later people!


	16. Next Day

Boarding School Story Chapter 16

This story is AU and slash. Don't like, don't read. I do not own characters from Percy Jackson. Avery is mine, though. That's it. Stop reading this and read my story. Do it.

**Nico's POV**

As I walk to the school building, I feel a couple of eyes on me. Or my neck, to be specific. Turns out, Percy has a bit of a thing for hickeys. So now, my neck has at least six small bruises covering it. Whatever, they show that I'm actually part of something, so I wear them proud. That, and shying away would be giving in to them. I don't give up.

When I make my way into homeroom, during which our activities consist of waking up and quietly socializing (I freaking love this school), I'm quickly pulled into a corner by Avery. Without words, he grabs my head and turns me so that my neck is exposed. He starts to slowly trace the bruises as he speaks.

"So you and Percy are finally together. Took you two long enough." I whack him quickly to get him to release and continue to the rest of our group. I hear him stalk behind me and prep myself for another random grab. When I finally sit down the conversation in our little section dies quickly. They're all looking at me expectantly, waiting for some sort of information.

"Any particular reason you're all being so creepy today? Isn't staring and not talking sort of my jurisdiction?" I get at least one facepalm from that and a few angry sighs. Early morning really has that effect on people. And then Avery is on my desk with one of those wolf and sheep smiles on.

"I believe they're waiting for the juicy details around these hickeys. And maybe the involvement of our little Percy." As he speaks his hand ghosts over my neck. His tone is low and sultry. If he didn't push me and Percy together so fiercely, I would think he was flirting with me. Must be habit for him at this point.

I push him off me, "Well, if you must know, your efforts have finally paid off. Percy and I are now. Hmm, I guess we still haven't figured out an actual term. I guess we're boyfriends now. At this point, I suppose we have Avery to thank." He flashes me what he calls his 'winning smile'. To me, it's pretty frightening. Something to do with the creepy predator look his eyes get.

Jason smiles at me. "Well, I'm glad you two are finally together. He usually has such terrible taste." This has got to be interesting.

"Who's he been with before?" At this point the others start into the conversation again.

"Me, for one." Rachel smacks Jason over his head.

"Me too." Annabeth pulls the chair out from under him. He's still laughing really loud.

"Oh, you two are nothing compared to that last one he went out with. Really, just plain horrific." We're all laughing now that he's gotten some punishment.

"That was me." Avery pounces on Jason and they tussle for a few minutes before Thalia breaks them up. And then it starts up again. I'm kind of glad I started hanging out with these guys.

**Percy's POV**

When third period and Art finally come around I'm dead on two legs. Then I see Nico in some sort of debate with Annabeth and I feel the weight slide off of me. As I walk to the table I hear stuff like daleks, aboriginals, JFK, Newton, and hydrogen bombs coming from their general direction. I don't think I'll ever completely understand what those two are thinking. As Nico starts some argument about the Pluto being a planet, I wrap my arms around him and put a quick bite on his earlobe and he falters.

When he turns his head and kisses me quickly I hear Avery and the girls let out a collective "Aaaaawwww" for our benefit. I sit down next to Nico and give Avery the finger.

"Quick question. What the hell were you two talking about? I mean, seriously, that made no sense whatsoever." Thalia looks up from her portrait, an eagle against the moon, and shrugs at me.

"I'm just as lost as you are, Seaweed Brain. These two are too smart for their own good." She gets it. Neither of us is really that good at the whole 'school' thing, which pretty much sucks. We try, but art is really our class to make it up. Nico and Annabeth are just smiling like it's the simplest thing in the world.

"You see we're arguing about a couple of things at the same time. Possible human evolution paths, spacial expansion and collapse, conspiracies, you know. The usual."

"And the whole Dalek thing?" Annabeth smiles at me.

"We're just talking about how Doctor Who might end."

**Author's Notes **

Sort of a filler chapter. Still, I guess they're necessary from time to time. Adios, loyal readers!


	17. Night

Boarding School Story Chapter 17

This story is AU and slash. Don't like, don't read. I do not own characters from Percy Jackson. Avery is mine, though. No question about that.

**Nico's POV**

_It's dark. There's something big crawling around me, but it's too dark to see inches from my face. From time to time I see different colored eyes peering through at me. Every time I see them there's some sort of growling laugh. I'm dead if this lasts much longer_

_ And then there's a light. Percy is beckoning to me from his little bright doorway, silently telling me to come and join him. And I know I'm safe. I start to run for the light, it's starting to look like a cave mouth. _

_ I'm seconds from free when I get knocked off my feet. That thing is still in here. It's laughing as it comes closer and closer, just aching to tear me to shreds. It pounces, and the last thing I see is Percy's terrified face as he looks in._

"AAAAHHHH!" I jump out of my bed screaming from that dream. My entire upper body is drenched in sweat. The clock tells me it's ten after two. I know I won't get back to sleep. These nightmares were another symptom of grief that could really show up anytime. These were the dreams that didn't allow sleep once they ended.

I swallow my pride and walk next door to Percy's room. When I knock he's already opening the door. "Nico, what happened? You were calling out for a few minutes there, and then that scream-" I make sure to cut him off with a quick hug. Just him being solidly there is enough.

"I don't wanna talk about it. Can I just sleep in your room for tonight?" He leads me in wordlessly. He gets underneath his covers and holds them open for me. I push them back down and lay myself up against his chest. My heart stops thumping. I drift off faster then ever when I'm with him. Speaking of which...

When I wake up, my back is cold and Percy's shaking me awake softly. I've never failed to wake up to my alarms. But last night was so peaceful that I'd trade it for anything.

**Percy's POV**

BREET! BREET! BREET! The alarms from both of our rooms are blaring louder then ever. Nico's response is to sigh in his sleep and push himself against me. His back folds perfectly against my front, and I guess I wrapped my arms around him while we were asleep.

I slowly untangle us and turn off the alarm in his room. Then I shut the one in my room off. I look at the sleeping boy on my bedspread and smile. How the hell did I get so lucky? He turns himself slowly and rolls over to face my window.

I change as quickly and quietly as possible and shake him slowly awake. He opens his eyes quickly and looks at me dreamily for a second. Then, "What time is it?" Not exactly what I was hoping for.

"Quarter past six, why?" He shoots up quicker than I thought possible for him, or anyone this early.

"Why'd you let me sleep so late?" He's looking down at himself, and he seems a little ashamed at being in my room with so little clothing. Cute, but I'll have to take advantage of that at some later time.

"You were too adorable to wake up. Sorry." He's both angry and blushing when the word 'adorable' enters the sentence. And then there's soft clapping at my door frame, where Avery is standing with a wide smile on his lips.

"Love you two. Such marvelous performances. And already sleeping together, so cute. Nico, how far have you gotten with him? Because he didn't sleep in the same bed as me for at least three weeks. I knew I made the right choice helping you guys out. Your welcome." Before either of us can retaliate in anyway, he's already gone, down the stairs.

When Nico changes we take the elevator down while he panics about being late, even though first period lates don't actually count for much here. Especially if you're as fussy as Nico about perfection in school.

**Nico's POV**

I make it to homeroom about two minutes before the bell. Avery's chatting with one of the Stoll twins (I'm pretty sure it's Travis that's in this period) and by the looks of where his hand is getting to, the chat is _really _good. Jason and Rachel are talking about making some sort of LED light portrait. Annabeth is talking to the teacher overseer for this class about the earthquakes in California.

Something tells me Avery just might have paid her off to distract the teacher. But today, I want to talk to Thalia. As I make my way over I get my usual greeting of "hey brainchild". Thalia seems to have a penchant for nicknaming people.

"So Thalia." I feel just a bit awkward. Speaking one on one still isn't my strong suit. "Does your cousin ever annoy you about your relationships?" I just need to be sure that this is normal, and who better to ask?

"Always. He's bi and he feels that making, breaking, determining, and overlooking relationships is his responsibility. But he especially loves butting into the lives of his exes and families. So Jason, Percy, and I are all continually part of his little projects. And by extension, that means you too." She laughs a little sort of crazy laugh that assures me that the two of them are related.

**Author's Notes**

The premise for this one was around for awhile in my head, and it just grew from there. Also, minor details will probably be mentioned again, so maybe reread. And maybe review. Who knows? Ciao!


	18. Suspense!

Boarding School Story Chapter 18

This story is AU and slash. Don't like, don't read. I do not own characters from Percy Jackson. Avery is mine, though. Those who claim otherwise will be destroyed slowly.

**Nico's POV**

Aaaahh. Winter break. I hate it so much. I'm going to stay at the school alone while everyone goes to see their family. Me and my dad have a mutual need to keep to ourselves. And it's not like I truly care whether or not everyone leaves or not. Just Percy.

And hell, maybe some of the others too. Even Avery has grown on me a little. He's recently been seen buddying up to Travis (it has been confirmed that it's Travis). On what I'm sure is an unrelated note, Travis has begone to walk with a serious limp. There's a rumor that Rachel and Jason have been using their project as a cover for meeting in secret.

Though I hate people, sitting back and letting them spill themselves out while I watch silently is a great pastime. But now, with Percy leaving to see his family, I'm actually starting to feel alone for the first time in years. Anger? Yes. Sadness? Still near daily. Lost? Damn it hurts.

I switch on 'Twin Heart' by Julia Marcell, a.k.a one of the saddest songs in the world. As I make my way down the stairs, I let myself get more enthralled in the music. When I open my eyes at the bottom and the song ends, Avery is there with a sizable crowd.

They applaud loudly when I pull my ear buds out. I see someone wipe a tear and I can't tell if it's sarcastic. Avery walks up and hugs me. "Where did you get that voice?" After he releases his bear hug and I can breathe again I respond.

"What do you mean? You've heard me sing before. I've always got some little tune spilling out." He looks somewhat taken aback.

"Never with that much emotion, you don't! What the hell did Percy do to put that much tragedy in you?" I roll my eyes at him as we walk out into the square.

"First off, you used tragedy wrong. Second, he's leaving for home in a few days. You know, winter break, Christmas with the family." I trail off and sigh. He looks at me with what looks like amusement and pity. His face is too expressive.

"Well, I'm staying behind. So is Jason, and Rachel, and Thalia. You won't be totally alone." Marvelous. Or maybe I can take just a little sarcasm out of there. And then, when I go to reply, he's gone in typical Avery fashion.

**Percy's POV**

I'm sitting and packing in my room. Paul and my mom will be glad to see me home, and I think that's when I'll tell them about Nico. Nico, who seems to have retrieved all of the darkness I've managed to coax out of him. Nico, who I can hear as he sings his way down the stairwell.

About five minutes of procrastination later, Avery is on my bed. How he got into my room, when, or how he did it so silently are all unsolvable mysteries. When he sees that I've noticed him, he's up and scolding in record time.

"Why are you leaving Nico? You're killing him you know." No sense to be made from that.

"What are you spewing this time Avery?" He gapes at me for a second like I just hit him.

"What am I spewing? You're leaving for winter break and it's destroying Nico's insides."

"He said he was fine with my leaving." And then he pegs me in the head with a small coffin. It's Nico's packet of death mints (he's still kind of freaky).

"Of course he didn't complain. Do you know how needy that would make him sound? He freaking hates needy. He hates the thought that you would stay behind to pity him." Make senough sense. Avery is usually good at reading people.

"So how do you suggest that I fix this, O relationship master?" He takes a shine to my sarcastic title rather quickly. That look in his eyes tells me I'm screwed.

"Simple. There is nothing a genuine Avery Majes scheme cannot fix!" Give me a break.

**Nico's POV**

I reach for a death mint quick. I'll never know what they're supposed to be endorsing, but I love them. And that's when I see that my last package is gone. Tomorrow Percy leaves. This is gonna be a long break.

**Author's Notes**

Okay, this story will be ending soon. Very unfortunate, but it will be followed up as quickly as possible. Here's hoping, and merry Not-Christmas/Hanukkah/Quanza/Solstice/Yule to all of my fans!


	19. Christmas Day

Boarding School Story Chapter 19

This story is AU and slash. Don't like, don't read. I do not own characters from Percy Jackson. Avery is mine, though. Those who claim otherwise will be destroyed slowly.

**Nico's POV**

It's Christmas Eve, and I've been trying to keep to myself for the past week. I got a little teary eyed when Percy left, but I left to my room before anyone could make some remark. I still need no man's pity. As the days dragged on, I still needed to hang out with Avery and the rest because he's gotten into the habit of breaking into my room. Seems like Travis has taught him a thing or two.

One day it was some special brunch, one day I went and got small gifts for everyone. As the days grew longer and longer around me, I feel the loss of Percy cut just a little less by the day. Hell, maybe when Easter hits I'll be good. And then I remember that I spent an hour stalking his Facebook page yesterday. Maybe not.

Now Christmas and a gift exchange tomorrow. Oi vey. I pick up my worn out copy of Cujo and skip around in the gory parts. It's the way that I usually read myself to sleep. Sweet dreams, me.

"Nico, wake up. Wake up. Okay, come on, wake up now. Damn it, Nico!" I hear Avery's annoying noises sift through my consciousness before something sits heavily on my back. I open my eyes and thrash around for a second, looking for some form of retaliation. My mind is too hazy to remember where any of my hiding places are.

"None of those knives, killer. It's time for Christmas!" Avery jumps off of my body and throws what seems like gallons of red and green confetti on top of me. I look at him and see he's wearing an overlong Santa pattern shirt. His legs are disturbingly bare. "Now change and get downstairs with your gifts. We've been waiting at least ten minutes."

When I start down the stairs, I start to hum Merry Christmas From the Family. One of my favorite carols by far. The lobby is an explosion of cultural flares and destroyed wrapping paper. Rachel, the Graces, Avery, and Travis are all sitting in a circle with wrapped gifts encircling them. Avery is completely dwarfed by the boxes surrounding him. Rachel has what looks like a dozen easels surrounding her.

I sit down and hearty generic greetings fill the air. Some unspoken agreement leads to Jason circling us with a precarious stack of golden presents. All I can see is that is that he gave Rachel some little whirring trinket and a small set of voodoo dolls for me. Lovely.

Travis and Thalia go around at the same time giving me a questions of the universe book and a box set of Steven King books, respectively. These guys know me too well. Rachel's gifts really go over the top, though. Everyone gets their own handmade, painted, or otherwise ridiculously artsy project. Mine is an amazing dart board, divided into little sections, each with it's own little mural depicting some medieval weapon or skeleton art. I freaking love her.

"It's marvelous, Rachel. Just outstanding." When I get back into my room, I'll text Percy a picture of it. She has one left over that she's making a really bad effort to hide behind her back. Interesting.

I make my way around giving out my presents for this year. Though this holiday is based all around good cheer and interacting with people, it doesn't bother me in the slightest. For Travis, a book on how to make catapults out of office supplies. When Annabeth gets back, I have a copy of _Metamorphosis _for her. For Rachel I got a clay and paints set. Jason and Thalia get foam swords and axes which they put to good use after a few seconds.

Avery was a tough sell. His was actually a bit tough to think of. One day it just came to me though. Six lava lamps in rainbow colors that can fit together to make a big circle. The perfect gift for someone so self proclaimedly 'chill'. His response is both expected and abnormal. He jumps and hugs me. "Just wait for your present, Nico! You'll fucking love it!"

That gets me thinking. As he hands out large and kind of suggestive presents to all but Jason and Thalia (they just get large and luxurious presents) I notice an enormous wrapped box at the wall behind him. "Ok, Nico. Yours is heavy, so I'm not putting the effort into carrying it. It's that one over there."

I walk slowly to the red wrapped crate. Someone wrote the words _Happy Birthday, Jesus _sarcastically on the top. Why am I so nervous to open this thing. It's a present from Avery. Worst case scenario, it's something tiny in a ridiculous package.

I peel the wrapping paper off slowly and reach into the fold of the top. As I pull the tab out, I get a small handful of packing peanuts. When the whole top is undone, I'm looking directly into a pair of sea green eyes. Percy's eyes.

"Merry Christmas, Nico." Neither of us can stop laughing as I jump in next to him.

**Author's Notes**

Maybe a bit cliched, but I guess I'm more of a romantic than I thought. Whatever. Hope you guys enjoy it. And just wondering, has anyone tried the music title I put up on here? They're some of my favorites. Well, see ya people!


	20. Presents

Boarding School Story Chapter 20

This story is AU and slash. Don't like, don't read. I do not own characters from Percy Jackson. Avery is mine, and I finally hit twenty chapters! (You might want to re-read chapter 4 first. Sorry, but it might be necessary.)

**Nico's POV**

When we finally stand up, Rachel and Avery are both watching us with those annoying look-how-cute faces. Jason and Thalia are still dueling. I'm pretty sure Travis left awhile ago to put my booklet to good use. I look back at Percy.

"Come on, you're present is still in my room." He looks really confused.

"Nico, being with you is enough of a present this year." I can hear the two of them awing and tittering over that. That's going to get irritating fast.

"No, you were in the box, you were the surprise. That's my line. You want to use that excuse, you'll have to wait until I feel the urge to cram myself in one of those. Now hurry up." I start on the way to the stairs without checking if he's following. There's no reason that he wouldn't.

As we make our way higher and higher, he pester me more and more often with "What is it?" and "Why did we take the stairs?" in even amounts. When we finally reach the top floor, I guide him into my room and onto my bed. I lock my door.

"This is one of my biggest secrets. No one knows I have this, not even my father." I reach over and twist the top off of one of my bedposts, revealing the little hollow inside. From there I pull a long silver chain with a small shield hanging at the bottom.

"This was Bianca's good luck charm. She kept it with her at all times, and I have a matching one that I keep hidden away. On the last day, I was really insistent that she didn't go. She gave this to me to ease my nerves. I've kept it safe this whole time. I know I can trust you with it."

I smile up at him and lift the necklace over his head. A perfect fit.

**Percy's POV**

I'm completely dumbstruck here. It's beautiful, and he's kept it perfect and polished for three years. All without ever letting anyone see. What a completely Nico thing to do.

"It's amazing. Where's yours?" He looks at me for a second and then runs to his desk. He looks back at me.

"I need your help with this thing. We need to flip the desk over to reach the hiding place. Oh, don't give me that look. The desk is only a couple of pounds worth of decoration. I just need a little help maneuvering it." I got up to help him, and after a few minutes of screwing around, we got the thing upside down.

He grabbed one of the legs and pulled it clear out of the thing. A little sword shaped earring fell into his other hand.

"I'll probably need to clean it off, and a new chain or something. Whatever. So, what do you think of your Christmas present?"

I looked at him and smiled wide. "It's perfect. And you?" He looks me up and down before responding in complete monotone.

"You could've dressed yourself up a bit." I can _feel _my jaw fall open. And then he's laughing at what I'm sure is the stupidest face I've ever made. "I'm just screwing with you. This is way better than anything I had hoped for."

"Thanks. Now let's go back down there before Avery really gets a chance to stir up some annoying story about us coming up here for 'privacy'." Nico smirks for a few seconds and then gets hit by some big idea.

"Wanna make out in the elevator to humor him?" He's totally serious and I see no reason to deny him that.

"I have absolutely no objections to that, Nico. Plus, you're adorable when you act that way." He gets up and starts to walk off, his hips swinging way more than they need to. I can't help but stare at him as he sways away.

He turns back to me when he reaches the elevator. "Don't call me adorable. If you're going to use something to describe me, at least don't use the same word you would use to describe a rabbit."

As I follow him in, I can't help but think to myself. _Fiery. But still freaking adorable._

**Author's Notes**

Okay, what did you think everyone? The story is ending soon, so it's time to start thanking my fans and follows. Big thank you's for Reining3, Miette in the Rain, Annabethjohnson, fang1000, and everyone else that I couldn't fit in here. Without you guys stroking my ego, this story never would have gotten as far as it did. And before I forget, a big birthday shout out to Bridgette, daughter of Athena. Love you all,

Athenaboy.


	21. The Final Present

Boarding School Story Chapter 21

This story is AU and slash. Don't like, don't read. I do not own characters from Percy Jackson. Avery is mine, and I have no snappy line for up here today.

**Nico's POV**

As the elevator went down, Percy grabbed me and pulled me into a sweet kiss. Sweet, but I wanted something rougher today. I deepened it quickly and ran my hands through his hair. He licked along my lips and I opened my mouth quickly, giving him easier access. His hands slowly moved down my back until they reached my lower back.

He paused for a second and then gave in, his hands sliding into my back pockets and squeezing. I moaned heavily into his mouth. And then I heard the doors opening and after a few seconds, a gasp and a heavy thud. Percy and I pulled apart and I see that the door is open and Avery...

**Avery's POV**

My god. That is one of the hottest things I have ever seen. And that is really saying something. Nico and Percy wrapped around one another, making out like the end of the world. Nico was moaning a lot and Percy is squeezing his ass. I think I feel a nosebleed coming on.

**Nico's POV**

Well, to be honest, it looks like Avery fainted when he saw us. His big Santa shirt is sort of flared, and I thank whatever god there that he wore boxers underneath. Percy and I step out to minimal applause from Rachel.

"Congrats, I think that's the first time this hall has seen someone faint in that, um particular way." We all look down at his face again. He has what looks like a few drops of blood above his mouth, and a really creepy smile plastered on his face.

"I kinda want to step on him. His unconscious face is even creepier than the looks he gives people when he's awake." I say in a slight monotone. Or, that's how I wanted it to come out. A little more nervousness creeped into than I would have wanted.

Percy just laughs and looks over at me. "Well, be glad his room isn't under yours. He has a tendency to snore, and he isn't the quietest when he has 'company' over." Then all three of are laughing at how weird are friends are. And then Rachel's eyes light up.

"I have a present for the two of you. But you guys sort of ran off before I could do my big unveiling. I was kind of insulted." She pouted at us for a few seconds and I stepped in again.

"We had no idea. Continue on with your unveiling." She instantly brightened at us, further confusing me on how her, or anyone's, emotions work.

"Well, Jason helped me out with the wiring and stuff, but it was mostly my idea. Without further ado, I present..

**Percy's POV**

** ..**My greatest masterpiece!" Rachel was full out shouting now, taking the utmost pride in her work. And pride is what she deserved. It looked like hundreds of tiny colored light bulbs, all gathered into a canvas size, well I guess you would call it a mural.

In it was Nico. He was standing half in and half out of the shadows with a small dagger in hand. The other arm was wrapped around mural-me. Mural-me was hugging Nico fiercely with the opposite arm. In the arm facing the far side was a fencing saber. We were in what looked like a giant bubble, with big shadows fluctuating at the side. Literally, the bulbs along the edges were changing color slowly to show the uneven movement.

It was overwhelming how painstakingly she had put it together. I opened my mouth to thank her, but this sort of gurgling noise was all that came out. I snap my head from side to side quick. Then I try again.

"Rachel, this is the most amazing thing I have ever seen. How long did it take you to do this?" I feel Nico start to come down from the little high that the mural inspires. Rachel smiles her just-won-the-greatest-award-known-to-man smile, at us. She gets that same look every time some of her work gets complimented or awarded.

"It took me about a month and a half. Jason's a bit of a genius with how the current runs, so that cut the time down by a lot. I call it _Lovers at War,_" Her hands do little flourishes as she says the title, "And I believe that it's probably the best thing I've made in quite a while."

And then Nico swoops in for the kill. "Where did all this free time with Jason come from." Rachel is instantly flustered and fighting for an excuse.

"Oh, well, you see the thing about that is, um, uh..." And then Nico is laughing loudly and trailing toward the stairs once more.

"Just screwing with you Rachel. Tell Avery I say Merry Christmas when he wakes up." He yawns, smiles at me one last time, and then he's gone.

**Author's Notes**

Okay, I'm happy with this. But, one more chapter is yet to come. It's going to be set at the end of the schoolyear as a finale/tying up chapter. After that, it's on to the next story. See ya then, people!


	22. The End

Boarding School Story Chapter 22

This story is AU and slash. Don't like, don't read. I do not own characters from Percy Jackson. Avery shall always be mine. Thanks for reading so dutifully everyone.

**Nico's POV**

The school year is days from finished. Here, the finals are taken a few days in advance before everyone has to actually pack up and get out. Then comes a few days of hanging around aimlessly in the classes. Pretty sweet deal in my book.

With some help from Percy, I was able to patch up my relationship with my father on some of the smaller breaks from school. I stayed at his house Spring Break, and that was when we told his mom and Paul about our relationship. They were very supportive.

Speaking of my relationship with Percy, we've gotten a bit further than the making out phase, but I'll leave the sordid little details to your imagination. Avery has had some way of knowing telepathically every time we take it to another level. He only kept Travis around for a while after Christmas, which I regretted, but he'll always be who he is now.

On the topic of gossip, Rachel and Jason openly admitted to dating in February. At that point it was a formality. Everyone, even Percy, had figured it out at that point. Thalia loved it considering that weird sisterly connection the girls have.

Really this whole year has been pretty sweet. Within the course of a few months, I got a new boyfriend, inner peace, an increased closeness with the family I have left, and a brand new friend group to tortu- I mean, hang out with. Never would have guessed.

**Percy's POV**

Final day. My room has been packed up completely, and I'll be on my way home in a few hours. As they hand us our final report cards, I jitter nervously until mine is in my hands. The envelope won't open for a few seconds. Then it all seems to jump out at me.

Science- 84. History- 88. Mythology- 90. Art- 98. English- 85. I'm staring wide eyed at the paper. I've never done this well in half of these classes. I guess the late night study sessions Nico forces me to do worked their magic.

On the way to the Art room, I grab a yearbook for myself. After a few seconds, I decide that Nico definitely hasn't grabbed one for himself and take another. When I'm finally in the class I can see that I was right as Nico chats with the others idly over a table empty of all but everyone's reports and yearbooks.

I plop the book down in front of him as I sit down and he responds with a simple smile.

"So Percy, how did the grades stack up?" Wordlessly, I trade cards with him and look over his stuff. Nineties in everything but Art and English, where he got hundreds. Not fair, but I've learned to accept it. He snaps me back to reality with some comment about how proud he is.

**Nico's POV**

When Percy arrives, the attention at our table shifts to him seamlessly. Astounding how conditioned we all are. While everyone else begins to talk, I look through my book at our pictures and chosen quotes for the year. It surprised me that we're picking them even though we're sophmores, but this school isn't exactly the most traditional of places.

Rachel E. Dare- "_Make good art."_ - Neil Gaiman

Jason Grace - _"That'll teach him to mess with stupid people." _- Ghastly Bespoke

Thalia Grace- _"La La La" - _Uncountable Billions

Percy Jackson- _"Love is like water; we can fall in it, we can drown in it, and we can't live without it." _- ?

Annabeth Johnson- _"Is that a technical term, jiggery pokery?" _- Rose Tyler, Doctor Who

Avery Majes- _"Impossible is Impossible" _- Greed, Fullmetal Alchemist

I skip mine on purpose and then look back on it last. I sigh as I see the what I've chosen to immortalize the Nico of this year. And it's a good sigh.

Nico Di Angelo- _"Birth and death; we all move between these two unknowns." _- Bryant H. McGill

**Author's Notes**

Alright everyone, thanks for reading. This is the end. Let the overly theatrical sobs begin. Wait, what was that? The inspiration still lingers? Well, I guess this can be my gift to all of you for reading through to the end. I have decided to do a few one shots before my next story. Any rating, any level of fluff, any pairing. It's you, my loyal fans who will decide. Until then, see ya people!


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